Prices and Wages by Decade: 1830-1839
Links to government documents and primary sources listing retail prices for products and services, as well as wages for common occupations.
Wages by occupation, 1830-1839
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Farm laborers - Average monthly earnings by region, 1830New England farm laborers earned an average $11.60/month with board. See explanation and historical context. Source: Historical statistics of the United States, colonial times to 1970, vol. 1.
1839 farm laborer -
Whale boat wages, 1836-1841A hand on a whale boat might earn 15.4¢ per day, but end up in debt by the end of the journey for food consumed. Source: U.S. Dept of Labor.
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Child wages in textile factories, 1831In Rhode Island, children under 12 made $1.50 per week. In New Hampshire they made $2 per week. Source: Mass. BLS, 16th ann. rept., p. 27.
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School teachers salary - Boston, 1838Male school teachers in Boston earned an average $92.08/month, and received room and board valued at $13/month. Female teachers earned $12.33/month salary and $8/month for room and board. Source: Abstract of the Massachusetts school returns.
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Congressional salaries, 1789-presentSource: additional detail from the 1789 Act, chap. 17.
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Government employees, federal - Salaries, 1830sThe Official register of the United States shows salaries of federal employees, from the U.S. President all the way down to postmasters in small towns.
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Government employees, state - Salaries, 1830Find the salaries for state executive branch officials under the section "Officers and their salaries" listed beneath each state in the table of contents for this source, the American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge for 1830. Enter the page number in the "Jump to page" box. See example for Massachusetts. Use other editions to get salary data for additional years through 1860.
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New York City - Government salaries, 1834Lists salaries of commissioners, inspectors, superintendents, constables, marshals and other administrators. The mayor's salary was $3000/year.
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Circuit judge salary - Michigan, 1833In 1833, Michigan's circuit judges received a salary of $1,000 annually. Source: WPA, Inventory of the county archives of Michigan.
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U.S. Army pay, 1833Privates and musicians earned $6 per month. Farriers, blacksmiths and artificers earned $10 per month. Corporals earned $8; sergeants earned $12 per month. See more in Nile's Weekly Register Apr 27, 1833, pp. 137-138.
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Navy pay, 1814-1893This is not a government website but it does a good job of organizing a complex topic. If you need original government documents showing pay, contact us.
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Navy officer pay, 1833-1834Pay for captains, masters commandant, lieutenants, surgeons and assistant surgeons, pursers, chaplains and Navy agents. Source: American State Papers Vol. 4, pp. 886-893.
Wages by state, 1830-1839
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Massachusetts school teacher wages by sex, 1839-1840Statewide average: $24.14/month for male teachers and $6.89/month for female teachers, exclusive of board.
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Wages by occupation - Massachusetts ,1830sFrom the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 16th Annual Report.
- Agricultural laborers 1752-1860
- Blacksmiths 1781-1860
- Bookbinders 1837-1860
- Carpenters 1772-1860
- Carriage makers 1831-1860
- Clockmakers 1815-1860
- Click "more..." for 22 additional occupations...
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Circuit judge salary - Michigan, 1833In 1833, Michigan's circuit judges received a salary of $1,000 annually. Source: WPA, Inventory of the county archives of Michigan.
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New Hampshire prices and wages, 1830sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is a rich source of data; pages 41-45 focus on 1830-1840.
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Gig jobs - New York City, 1833Regulated fees charged for certain services by people in business for themselves.
- Cartmen - Carrying heavy loads some distance
- Chimney sweeps - Rates for upper and lower sections
- Public porters - Rates if using a wheel-barrow, hand-cart or hand-barrow
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Carpenter pay - New York, 1836In 1836, NYC carpenters earned $1.75/day. Source: Monthly Labor Review, Jan 1930, pp. 13-14.
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Carpenter pay - Philadelphia, 1836In 1836, Philadelphia carpenters made $1.25/day. Source: Monthly Labor Review, Jan 1930, pp. 13-14.
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Farm labor in Vermont - Daily wagesShows wage data for every year from 1780-1937; the explanation begins on page 43. Source: Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station report, table 26.
Wages by sex - 1830-1839
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Cotton industry wages by sex, 1831Shows men's and women's average weekly wage in five New England states. Source: Mass. BLS, 16th ann. rept., p. 27.
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Women's wages in the 1830sFederal report indicates wages and working conditions for women in the early 1800s. Wages in the 1830s are discussed in general on pages 23, 26, 27. Wages for domestic servants, for textile workers and women who made clothing are in other chapters. Piecework rates for union workers in New York are in the appendix, pp. 260-261. The appendix also shows the average weekly earnings for girls working in book binderies in Philadelphia in 1835. Wages for additional jobs are discussed elsewhere in the volume. Source: Report on condition of woman and child wage earners in the U.S. (1910), vol. 9.
1838 woman
Maine
- By county, 1839
Male and female teachers' average monthly wages including board, in Maine's common schools. Source: 1842 American almanac and repository of useful knowledge, p. 156
Boston paid male school teachers 5x more than women
New York
- 1831-1833 - Teacher salaries shown in the NY Comptroller annual report, 1835.
Massachusetts
- 1839-1840
The statewide average was $24.14/month for male teachers and $6.89/month for female teachers, exclusive of board. Source: 1842 American almanac and repository of useful knowledge.
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Massachusetts school teacher wages by town, 1838-1839Teachers' average monthly wages, including board, by town. This source shows wages separately from the value of supplied room/board as well.
Foreign wages by country, 1830s
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Canada wages, 1831-1832Source: Emigrant and traveller's guide to and through Canada, p. 64.
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European wages by occupation and country, 1830sShows wages for a variety of occupations in England, Scotland, France, Belgium, Austria, Prussia and Switzerland. Source: Arts and artisans at home and abroad (1839).
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United Kingdom - Wages, 1810-1886Extensive, 437-page government report indicates detailed wages by occupation in many locations throughout the UK. Wages are reported in British currency.
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Rural England and Wales - Wages by county, ca. 1834Reports from British county commissioners indicate wages by season and for men, women and children. (source). Rents by county are reported under Question 18 in a separate volume.
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France - Wages in Lyons' silk industry, ca. 1834Discusses wages, hours of labor, and earnings as well as laborer's expenditures on food, rent, etc. Source: Second report on the commercial relations between France and Great Britain, pp. 35-37.
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Australia and Tasmania - Wages, 1836Section titled "Prices and Wages in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land" also shows cost to buy necessary items and rent. Source: Journal of the Statistical Society of London
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Manufacturing wages by decade - Wurtemberg, 1830-1872The two tables on pg. 544 show the daily wages of factory workers and mechanics respectively from 1830-1872. A total average is also shown for labor in the city of Stuttgart specifically. Source: Labor in Europe and America, pg. 544
Foreign wages by occupation (A-Z) then country, 1830-1839
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Value of money in countries of Europe, expressed in dollars and centsGives the dollar value for farthings, pennies, groats, shillings, crowns, pounds and guineas in Great Britain ca. 1830, and similarly lists dollar values of coins and units of currency in each of the other European countries, as well as Russia and Turkey. Source: American almanac and repository of useful knowledge published 1830. Scroll to bottom of page for the start of the table, which begins on p.165.
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Canadian and English money equivalents, 1835Canada's money was pounds, shillings and pence. A Canadian pound had 90% the value of British sterling. A Spanish silver dollar was worth 5 Canadian shillings (p. 13). One U.S. dollar was equivalent to 4 shillings, 4 pence in England (p. 21). Source: Emigrant and Traveller's Guide to and Through Canada, published in London, 1835.
Food prices by state, 1830-1839
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Food prices - MassachusettsSource: Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the Sixteenth annual report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885).
- Dairy products: Price of butter, eggs, cheese, and milk.
- Food preparations: Prices for sugar, salt, tea, bread, chocolate, coffee, crackers, raisins, lard, macaroni, molasses, and more.
"Indian meal" was ground corn - Flour and meal: Flour, graham flour, "Indian meal," rye meal, oatmeal, and more.
- Agricultural products (fruits, vegetables, grains)
- Meats and Nuts: Prices for bacon, beef, ham, lamb, mutton, pork, almonds, etc.
- Poultry and game: Price of goose, turkey, and poultry.
- Fish: Prices for halibut, herring, haddock, salmon, codfish, eels, etc.
- Liquors and beverages: Prices for beer, brandy, cider, wine, gin, rum, and more.
- Spices and condiments: Prices of wide variety of spices, vinegar, and more.
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Food prices - Illinois (McLean County), 1831-1860Shows prices of whisky, salt, coffee, tea, bacon, eggs, butter, corn, sugar and many non-food items as well. A table shows prices of corn, oats and wheat. Source: Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society (1904).
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Food, whisky and commodity prices - New York, 1825-1882Shows lowest and highest prices of 25 foods in NYC over 56 years. Source: Michigan Bureau of Labor & Industrial Statistics 2nd annual report, pp. 248-250.
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Wheat and fowls - Prices in Albany NY, 1793-1846Reports annual data for price of wheat and fowls, as well as daily wages in every year from 1793-1846. Source: Documents of the New York Senate no. 92, 1846 v.3, p. 25.
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Food prices - New York market, 1830sShows monthly prices and annual averages from 1825-1863 for flour, rice, fruits, fish, pork, beef, butter, cheese, salt, sugar, molasses, whiskey, brandy, wine, gin, rum, coffee, tea and more. Source: U.S. Treasury report, p. 294.
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Ohio food prices, 1830-1862Shows price of coffee, sugar and tallow candles by the pound; corn and wheat by the bushel and more for 1830, 1832, 1835, 1838, 1840, 1845, 1847, 1850, 1853, 1855, 1858, 1860 and 1862. Source: Ohio Commissioner of Statistics, 7th Annual report (1863), p. 621.
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Ohio food prices by city, 1835-1839Prices in Cincinnati are shown on pages 799-801. Prices in Columbus for 1835-1839 are on pages 815-816. Both are part of a longer table that shows annual price data from 1825-1892. Source: Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17th Annual Report. See the price of whiskey in Cincinnati 1829-1858 in the Ohio Commissioner of Statistics' 3rd annual report.
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Prices in Pennsylvania, 1830-1839A farm family's account book shows a variety of items that were purchased, along with prices. Source: "Farm prices in two centuries," Report of the Statistician, USDA, p. 345.
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Prices - Camden, South Carolina, 1837Source: "Camden prices current" listed in Sep 9, 1837 newspaper.
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Alcohol prices - Alexandria DC, 1831Wine, brandy, port and other prices by the gallon or bottle. Source: newspaper advertisement.
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Prices paid by trappers in the American west, 1838-1839Prices for whisky, sugar, flour and coffee in memoir by Alexander Major.
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Food prices paid by Native Americans, 1838-1839Prices paid by Caddo Indians in the Louisiana / east Texas area for sugar, coffee, corn, pork, whiskey, brandy, gin, etc. Source: Caddo Indian Treaty in U.S. Congressional Serial Set #411.
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Meal prices on steamboats and at stagecoach stops, 1837Meals cost 25¢ on steamboats and 37.5¢ at stagecoach stops. Source: Illinois in 1837: a sketch, p. 67.
Transportation prices, 1830-1839
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Massachusetts - Stage fares, 1838Fares from Boston to nearby towns. Source: 1838 Boston almanac, p. 50-54.
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Boston to Lowell Mass. - Stagecoach fare, 1835Source: legislative testimony, Committee of Railways & Canals, pub. 1867, p. 6.
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New York City - Hackney coach fares, 1833Source: New York as it is (pub. 1835), p. 169. City stage fares on page 172.
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Scotland to New York or Quebec - Cost of passage, mid-1830sEmigrant's guide tells rates by accommodation (cabin, steerage etc.) and for adults and children. Includes an exchange rate table for pounds and dollars. Source, p.137.
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England to Australia - Cost of passage, ca. 1835Source: Colonization of South Australia, published 1836 in London, p. xxvi.
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Liverpool to New York, 1834This source shows price for cabin accommodations, assuming commercial travelers.
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British Isles to Canada, early 1830sEmigrant's guide tells the price of ocean passage and the cost of trips by steamboat in Canada. Guide was prepared by published by His Majesty's Commissioners for Emigration in 1832. Begins on page 8.
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Steamboat fares, 1836Fares from Wheeling VA to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Memphis, New Orleans and more. Source: 1836 American almanac and repository of useful knowledge, p. 127.
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Steamboat fares, 1837Fares between NYC, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville and St. Louis. Source, p. 67.
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New York to Albany - Steamboat fare, 1834Source: Journal of an excursion to the U.S. and Canada (1835).
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Baltimore to District of Columbia - Steamer fare, 1832Source: newspaper advertisement.
- Multiple states
- Selected fares in the book Story of Railroad Passenger Fares (pub. 1942)
- Fares established by charter, circa 1830. Source: Industrial Commission on Transportation (1901) report, pp. 904-905.
- Maryland
- Baltimore to Washington fare was set at $2.50 in 1832.
- Massachusetts
- Rail fares, 1835 Source: legislative testimony published in 1867, p. 6.
- Rail fares, 1837 Source: The Boston almanac.
- Rail fares, 1838 Source: The Boston almanac.
- New Jersey
- Jersey City to Newark and other towns, fare in 1837
- Paterson to Acquackanonk, fare in 1832
- New York
- Excursion fares:
Before the steam engine, rail transportation was powered by horses.
Image source: Scriber's Magazine, July 1888, p. 175
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New York City - Local transportation, 1830s
Household item prices, 1830-1839
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Wholesale prices - New York market, 1830sShows wholesale prices for tobacco, gunpowder, candles, hides, furs, leather, nails, whalebone and more. Source: U.S. Congressional Serial Set vol. 1186.
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Massachusetts - Prices for household itemsSource: Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor 16th annual report.
- Carpetings
1837 family at home - Cutlery: Prices for pocket knives.
- Writing paper priced by the sheet.
- Candles and soap
- Oils to light lamps
- Fuel: Oak wood, pine wood, coal, etc.
- Miscellaneous: Price for brooms, matches, tumblers and more.
- Tobacco and snuff
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Coal and soap prices - Ohio, 1830sPrices in Cincinnati are shown on pages 799-801. Prices in Columbus for 1835-1839 are on pages 815-816. Both are part of a longer table that shows annual price data from 1825-1892. Source: Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17th Annual Report.
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Candle prices - Ohio, 1830sTallow candle prices in 1830, 1832, 1835 and 1838. Source: Ohio Commissioner of Statistics, 7th Annual report (1863), p. 621.
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Prices paid by Native Americans, 1838-1839Prices paid by Caddo Indian tribe in the Louisiana/ east Texas area for rifles, pistols, rifle powder, frying pans, fur hats, children's shoes, men's boots, tobacco, dishes, calico cloth, scissors, needles, rifles, saddlebags, etc. Source: Caddo Indian Treaty in U.S. Congressional Serial Set #411.
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Itemized prices in 1830-1832500-page congressional report is filled with itemized prices of blankets, guns, knives, shirts, coats, pans, horse-bells, saddle bag locks and many more items associated with the mass Indian emigration known as the Trail of Tears. Use "Search in this text" box to find more.
More prices in the United States, 1830-1839
CLOTHING prices, 1830s
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Prices paid by Native Americans, 1838-1839Prices of fur hats, men's boots, children's shoes, calico cloth, sewing needles, etc. paid by Caddo Indians in the Louisiana/ east Texas area. Source: Congressional document, p.125.
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Prices paid by trappers in the American west, 1830sThis memoir from Alexander Majors, "70 Years on the Frontier" tells some typical prices paid by trappers on p.124.
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Itemized clothing prices in 1830-1832Use the "Search in this text" box to find prices of shirts, hats, shoes, socks, clothing fabrics and more. These were expenses associated with the mass forced removal of Native Nations on the Trail of Tears.
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Average annual clothing cost for convicts - Maine, 1833The Maine penitentiary reported that they spent an average $18.79 for clothing per convict in 1833. Source: Maine Senate Doc #10, 15th legislature, p. 7.
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Houses - Selling prices in Philadelphia, 1833Gives dimension, # stories, and location of home along with material type (brick or frame).
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Land price in Michigan, 1830"The price of unsold wild lands is fixed and uniform, being $1.25 per acre; the terms ready money...." Land was purchased direct from the U.S. government. Source: The Emigrants' guide, or, Pocket gazetteer of the surveyed part of Michigan, p. 6.
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Chicago lot and business real estate prices, 1830sLists 1830 selling prices at auction for Chicago lots bounded by State, Madison, Kinzie and DesPlaines streets. Also lists a few 1830s selling prices of lots in what is now the Loop of downtown Chicago. Source: Real estate values and historical notes of Chicago, pub. 1900.
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Land price in Indiana, 1832-1833Land near New Harmony, Indiana was priced at $15 per acre but two miles from the village, government land sold for $1 per acre. At the time, a square mile of government land was priced at $100. Source: Travels in the interior of North America, pp. 83-84.
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Land price in Texas, 1830s
- In 1831, land in Austin's Colony was available for 4 cents per acre. The title to the land would generally be $2 or $3. Settlers would be required to cultivate the land within six years, otherwise they'd have to forfeit it to the state. (Source)
- In 1834, Galveston Bay area land could be purchased at auction with a starting bid of $10 for 177 acres, approx. 6 cents per acre. (Source)
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Unimproved land prices in Maine, 1824-1855Table shows average price per acre for public land (largely timbered) conveyed by the state government. Source: 1855 Annual report of the Land Agency of the state of Maine, pp. 22-23.
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Price of a newspaper or newspaper subscriptionUse the "Chronicling America" site to find prices and subscription rates for newspapers. Look for price information in the newspaper's masthead, or in the publisher's info section - often in the left column of the first or second page.
In New Orleans, a daily paper cost 12½¢ -
Postage rates for letters mailed in the U.S., 1792-1863These prices do not include rates for ship and steamboat letters and "drop letters" (for local delivery). Source: USPS Historian.
- Up to 30 miles: 6¢
- 30-80 miles: 10¢
- 80-150 miles: 12.5¢
- 150-400 miles 18.75¢
- Over 400 miles: 25¢
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Workplace-based health care and paid sick leave in Massachusetts, 1830sThis source describes payroll deductions taken for a "sick fund" which provided paid sick leave for employees. It also tells that a hospital stay was $4 per week for men, or $3 per week for women. Unhealthy conditions in textile factories are documented on pages 100-108. Source: U.S. Congressional Serial Set no. 5693.
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Medical and dental service rates in Washington DC, 1833-1840Fees for doctor consultation, tooth extraction, amputations, midwifery, vaccinations, stitches, treatment for disease, and more. Source: 1840 American Medical Almanac, p.95.
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Medical service rates in New York state, 1837-1838Shows the fees for a doctor's visit and consultations, obstetrical services, vaccinations, amputations, assisting with fractured bones, dislocated joints and other medical services. Source: Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, vol. 18, pp. 50-51.
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Medical fees in Pittsburg, PA - 1836Source: Pennsylvania Medical Journal, Nov 1897, p.287.
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Physicians fees in Connecticut, 1829-1838Fees for day and night doctor visits, consultations, mileage and more. Source, p. 25.
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Tuition and expenses at 14 colleges compared, 1830Source: Quarterly register of the American Education Society, vol. 3, pp. 298-299.
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Amherst College, 1832
College education -
New York University and colleges - Tuition, 1839"The price of tuition is £18 per year to students who pursue the whole course. For particular branches, students pay £4, 10 shillings per year for each. Students whose parents reside in the city are supposed to live in their own families. For others, boarding is provided in respectable families at a charge of 9 shillings to 22 shillings 6 pence per week." Source, page 15.
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Ohio universities and academies - Tuition, room and board - 1830sSee tuition for the University of Ohio in Athens, Western Reserve at Hudson, Cincinnati College, Kenyon College at Gambier, Oberlin and more. Source: Ohio gazetteer, pp. 534-545.
See a full list of U.S. colleges as of 1837. Contact us if you need to know the tuition for any of these schools.
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Price of a haircut and shave, 1830sThe list below shows barbershop prices found in newspapers.
Haircut in 1836
One "bit" was worth 12½ cents.
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Fees for selected services - New York City, 1833
- Cartmen - Carrying heavy loads some distance
- Chimney sweeps - Rates for upper and lower sections of a chimney
- Public porters - Rates if using a wheel-barrow, hand-cart or hand-barrow
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Horse prices in 1830-1832Horse prices are scattered throughout this 500-page congressional report which itemizes expenses associated with the mass Indian emigration known as the Trail of Tears. Use the search-in-text box to find hundreds of price quotes for horses, cost of horse hire and feed costs, as well as the cost of saddles, bridles, etc.
Prices varied for saddle horses, work horses and race horses. -
Race horse prices, 1832Horses bred for racing sold for much more than farm horses. Source: American turf register and sporting magazine, July 1832, pp. 568-570.
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Livestock prices - Illinois, 1831-1860Shows the price of horses, cows, sheep, and other livestock in McLean county, Illinois through the 19th century. Source: Transactions, Illinois State Historical Society (1904).
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Massachusetts - Prices for hardware and building materialsSource: Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor 16th annual report.
Living expenses - 1830s
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School teachers' room and board costs - Massachusetts, 1838School teachers hired from outside the community often required accommodation. Average room and board expenses paid by school districts can sometimes be found in the annual reports of the state departments of education. Click "more" to see average teacher boarding costs per town:
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Living expenses in 14 college towns, 1830College students often had to find accommodation at private homes near the school. College catalogs sometimes estimated these living expenses, broken out by lodging, board (meals), firewood, lighting and laundry service. This source shows expenses at colleges in ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY, PA, VA and KY. Quarterly register of the American Education Society, vol. 3, pp. 298-299.
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Room and board - New Haven CT, 1831Yale students boarding with private families in 1831 paid $1.25 to $1.75 per week.
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Family budgets and standard of living - Philadelphia, 1833Itemizes necessary expenditures and estimates minimum income needed for survival. Source: Appeal to the wealthy of the land, Essay II by Mathew Carey (1833).
Prices in foreign countries, 1830-1839
Prices in GREAT BRITAIN, 1830s
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Household income and expenditures - Manchester, 1836 and 1841Twelve Manchester families' income and expenditures are listed individually on pages 323-332. Shows how much each family spent per week on rent, various food items, coffee, tea, salt, soap, candles, etc. Source: Journal of the Statistical Society of London.
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House rent - Great Britain, 1821-1881Amounts shown in British currency. Source: Mulhill's Dictionary of Statistics, p. 236.
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Bread prices - England, 1817-1846Shows average prices of bread in England for each year from 1660-1899 on pages 27-35. Source: Three Centuries of Prices of Wheat, Flour and Bread. The introduction to this table explains that these prices are for the type of bread consumed by lower middle classes, not the "fancy bread." Price sources are provided on pp. 21-22.
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Food - Retail prices in Great BritainShows prices of bread throughout the UK. Prices in London for many foods from the 1700s-1880s, pp. 232-341. Source: Report on wholesale and retail prices in the UK.
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Alcohol prices - England, 1832This represents the prices of one retailer.
PRICES in IRELAND, 1830s
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Meat prices in Tipperary, Sligo and Tralee Ireland in 1834Prices of beef, pork, poultry, mutton are cited in A history of the past and present state of the labouring population by Tuckett (published 1846), p. 422.
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Railroad fare - Dublin, 1835Shows first, second, and third class fares on the Dublin and Kingstown Railway. Source: American Railroad Journal v. 4 (1835), p.397.
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Provision and live stock prices, mid-1830sPrices in New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land, as collected from newspapers. Source: New British province of South Australia (1838)
Prices in CANADA, 1830s
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Price for travel from British Isles to Canada - early 1830sShows price of Atlantic ocean passage, and steamboat fare in Canada. Guide published by His Majesty's Commissioners for Emigration in 1832, pp. 8-9.
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Canada - Prices and wages by region, early 1830s1832 Emigrant's guide shows prices, wages, cost of rent, and more for upper Canada, lower Canada, and New Brunswick on pages 13-18.
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Quebec - Price of living, ca. 1834Source: Emigrant and traveller's guide to and through Canada, published 1835, pp. 17-18.
Prices in FRANCE, 1830s
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French prices, mid-1830sThe English book Stranger's Guide to Paris (published 1837) tells the cost to travel from London to Paris, costs to travel within France, food at certain inns, admission for a hot mineral bath, swimming lessons, ticket prices at theaters, and more. All prices are given in English pounds, shilling and pence, but there is an exchange rate table between English and French money and an explanation of French coinage on the previous page. Although this book is primarily for tourists, it shows prices for services not typically needed by tourists such as the price for funerals and cemetery plots. To find more, use the full text search feature to search for words such as sous, price, admission and francs.
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Prices and wages in Lyon, FranceFocuses on expenses of French weavers circa 1831. Source: Second report on commercial relations between France and Great Britain, pp. 36-37.
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Provisions, food and clothing prices - Paris, 1830Also tells the cost of restaurant menu items, cost to travel and more. Source: New picture of Paris, 1831. Includes currency conversions to English money.
Prices in ITALY, 1830s
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Italy - Food prices in Milan, 1801-1908Lists prices of wheat, bread, wine, beef, pork, butter and rice. Source: Bulletin of the U.S. Bureau of Labor, Vol. 20 #87, pp. 599-607.
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Tourist prices in Sicily, 1834Tourist prices for other regions of Italy are also included in this book Travels in Europe, for the use of travellers on the continent, and likewise in the island of Sicily, pub. 1839.
Prices in SWEDEN, 1830s
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Grain prices - Sweden, 1836-1900This table shows average prices for wheat, rye, barley, and oats in Sweden for 1836 to 1900. Annual consumption per inhabitant for wheat and rye, potatoes, coffee, tea, sugar and alcoholic beverages, p. 156.
Prices in SWITZERLAND, 1830s
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Prices in Geneva, mid 1830sPrice of provisions and fuel in Report on the commerce and manufactures of Switzerland, published 1836.
Exchange rate, 1830
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Conversion rates for European and American currency, ca. 1830Gives the dollar value for farthings, pennies, groats, shillings, crowns, pounds and guineas in Great Britain ca. 1830, and similarly lists dollar values of coins and units of currency in each of the other European countries, as well as Russia and Turkey. Source: American almanac and repository of useful knowledge published 1830. Scroll to bottom of page for the start of the table, which begins on p.165.
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Canadian money equivalents, 1835Canada's money was pounds, shillings and pence. A Canadian pound had 90% the value of British sterling. A Spanish silver dollar was worth 5 Canadian shillings (p. 13). One U.S. dollar was equivalent to 4 shillings, 4 pence in England (p. 21). Source: Emigrant and Traveller's Guide to and Through Canada, published in London, 1835.
Analysis and calculators, 1830s
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Nineteenth century wage trendsBrief booklet reviews wage trends from 1800-1899. Source: U.S. BLS Staff Paper #2.
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Online calculator: Present-day purchasing power of historic monetary amountsThe MeasuringWorth.com website provides online calculators, guides and tutorials to help researchers understand historic monetary purchases and payments in present-day terms, for the United States, Australia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
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Currency converter, 1270–2017This calculator can be used to determine the historical purchasing power of currency in the United Kingdom from 1270 to 2017. Purchasing power is represented in its equivalence in horses, wheat, the yearly wages of a skilled tradesperson, and others.
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"How much is that in real money? A historical price index..."Provides explanations and charts to help users calculate the current value of historic dollar amounts. Source: Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Assn., Vol. 101 #2. Source
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Marie Concannon, Government Information Librarian
Government Documents Department, Ellis Library
University of Missouri, Columbia
Email: concannonm@missouri.edu
Phone (573) 882-0748
